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Matvei Michkov scores twice in OT preseason win – NBC Sports Philadelphia
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Matvei Michkov scores twice in OT preseason win – NBC Sports Philadelphia

Thanks to a Matvei Michkov overtime winner, the Flyers secured a 3-2 decision over the Bruins in their preseason game at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night.

It was Michkov’s second goal of the game. Rasmus Ristolainen was the Flyers’ other scorer, while Travis Konecny ​​​​and Olle Lycksell scored two points.

Assistant coaches Brad Shaw, Rocky Thompson and Darryl Williams and skills coach Angelo Ricci led the Flyers’ bench for the second straight year. John Tortorella watched from above along with Keith Jones, president of hockey operations, and Danny Briere, general manager.

Michkov, Oliver Bonk and Jett Luchanko, the Flyers’ three first-rounders in the last two drafts, were all in the lineup.

The Flyers are 3-1-0 in the preseason and have three games remaining.

• After showing off his full repertoire in his first game action at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday, Michkov followed it up with an OT winner and a power-play goal on the doorstep. As the Flyers have discovered, he’s not afraid to go into difficult areas and score where it’s not so pretty.

The 19-year-old played on his wing alongside Konecny ​​​​and Sean Couturier. The club’s power play went 1 for 7, but Michkov at least made it look more dangerous.

The Flyers loved his daring style of play. They’ll work with him on things away from the puck.

“Are we going to knock him out with this? No, because we’re hungry for the plays that he can make, the instinctive plays that he can make,” Tortorella said Friday. “I don’t want to overwhelm him. We will definitely teach him along the way, especially situational play. … We will not try to stifle his creativity in any way.”

In three friendlies, Michkov scored three goals, three assists and a plus-4 mark. He also scored a goal in his only rookie game just over two weeks ago at the PPL Center.

“I think we’re just starting to understand what he’s all about,” Couturier said. “It’s definitely exciting.”

Matvei Mikkov

Derek Souders/NBC Sports Philadelphia

• In the first period, Michkov saw Couturier come to his defense. The young Russian was angered by Billy Sweezey, so the Flyers captain pounced and dropped the gloves with the Bruins defenseman.

Good stuff from Couturier to set a precedent there.

“Gigantic,” Shaw said. “That’s how teams are formed, it’s a brotherhood, you play for each other. An absolutely perfect tour at this time.”

Then in the next period, Hunter McDonald had Michkov’s back in a scrum around the net.

“I think we have to establish this early and not let ourselves be pushed around,” Couturier said. “What I liked about (Michkov) is that he just kept going.”

Flyers captain Sean Couturier defended Matvei Michkov by fighting Billy Sweezey.

• Lycksell was very good. He collected two primary assists and was the Flyers’ most active forward offensively.

“Obviously they’re trying to get some looks at me here in preseason,” Lycksell said. “I just try to do the best I can out of every shift, every power play opportunity.”

The 25-year-old is vying to open the season at the big club as a striker and helped his cause on Saturday evening.

“I thought he was great,” Shaw said. “His vision was as good as I’ve ever seen, he executes, he does things quickly. And that’s exactly how you create at this level.”

• Luchanko was back with Joel Farabee and Bobby Brink, a lineup that looked awfully good in the Flyers’ season opener.

The 2024 first-round center went scoreless and suffered a small deficit offensively. But he’s been skating a lot since the start of rookie camp, just turned 18 last month, and the Flyers are placing a lot of value on his future.

“There are advantages in almost every element of his game,” Shaw said Saturday after the morning skate. “He’s an exciting guy at his age for what he’s done here in the last few weeks. He opened a lot of people’s eyes and he proved that as long as he plays, he will forever be an impressive player on both ends of the rink.

“He will be a great penalty killer because he can skate. His instincts are unmatched, he’s only getting stronger, he’s only getting smarter. That combination is a pretty tempting thing when you think about two or three years down the road.

• Ivan Fedotov made his second preseason appearance and played his first full game, stopping 25 of 27 shots.

“Ivan was great,” Shaw said. “Made some great saves. He’s such a big guy, covers a lot of goals. You see a guy coming at him and you’re like, ‘Where are you going to shoot?'”

On Boston’s opening goal of the first period, Jamie Drysdale scored on a turnover that kept the Bruins in the offensive zone. Hampus Lindholm then fired a shot from distance which may have deflected off Drysdale’s stick.

Boston regained its lead at 2-1 in the second period on a short-handed breakaway sniper.

Fedotov, the Flyers’ scheduled backup, has stopped 35 shots on 39 shots in five periods.

“I feel good and better than last year,” said Fedotov. “More control, more detail, more understanding of how the puck is moving.”

More: Kolosov in the house; Flyers place three players on waivers

• A few notes on two of the Flyers’ younger defensemen:

McDonald did some good things breaking up games and being his physical self.

Bonk definitely sees the game at a high level. He made a handful of subtle but effective reads on the puck in the offensive zone.

• The Flyers are scheduled to have Sunday off before starting camp and preseason on Monday.

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